


Waking Up and Returning Home

by Rosesdancinginmymind (orphan_account)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2014-07-17
Packaged: 2018-01-21 19:43:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1561808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sequel to Sleep, Perchance to Dream. Emma, Regina and Henry find Storybrooke but something is different. Zelena is in charge but does not recognise the three in town. No-one does. Can the trio break this new curse and restore everyone's memories to take down a fearsome foe?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

_The sequel to Sleep, Perchance to Dream. Emma, Regina and Henry find Storybrooke but something is different. Zelena is in charge but does not recognise the three in town. No-one does. Can the trio break this new curse and restore everyone's memories to take down a fearsome foe?_

_I was going to wait until after my essays to write this but I had time tonight so figured what the hell? May as well write it up. I hope you like this first part :)_

When Regina first woke up in the cursed town she spent her first day exploring it. Everything about it was fascinating to her. It was like nowhere she had ever been before. No royalty and peasants staying as far away from each as they could. Instead everyone was walking around as if they all belonged. It wasn't a place of isolation but community.

In Storybrooke she found several places she loved. The park where she and Henry used to go play and where she, Emma and Henry would later picnic. Granny's which served a multitude of new foods she'd never experienced before and later became home to family dinners. Her mansion, a place that at times felt too big and lonely but soon became filled with memories of love and laughter. Storybrooke was her home.

She knew Storybrooke. She knew it inside and out which is why as Emma drives through it she knows something is wrong. On the surface the town looks the same and yet the air is different. No-one in the town pays any attention to the yellow bug which surprises them all given how distinctive Emma's car is. They were all expecting at least someone to notice their return.

Dread coils in the pit of Regina's stomach. Zelena threatened her curse, a curse meant to destroy them all and prove her power. A curse which Regina narrowly escaped. She gazes at this town which looks and feels like a hollowed out version of the Storybrooke she created and realises this could have been her. Had they been a day out she could have been trapped in this town with everyone else.

It's the people that unsettle Emma. They all look the same and yet in their faces she can see a difference. There's no recognition. There isn't anything. They look almost like robots walking through the town following the motions of their lives yet without knowing why. She notices how silence has fallen over the Bug.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks Regina.

"Just that this could have been me. Had we been a day out I could have been cursed like this. I know we haven't talked to anyone yet Emma but something is wrong. I can't pinpoint it but no-one recognised the car. It's like the curse I cast and yet it's not."

"It's different," Henry says, "Under your curse they knew us. They had their emotions and some control. Here they all look lost and empty."

"They were lost under my curse too," Regina reminds him sadly.

Henry frowns, "Yes but they knew who they were, or who you told them they were. They had memories and dreams and lives. They weren't like this," he says gesturing to a person who walks past them with a cold expressionless mask as they walk past.

Emma pulls the Bug into park on the Main Street, "What should we do first?"

"We need to know what this curse did" Regina says, "It's clearly some form of the dark curse but Zelena must have added something to it. I say we try to find your parents."

Emma nods, "Do you think they'll remember anything?"

"I'm hoping they do," Regina replies. During her time in the Enchanted Forest she and Snow had become friends. She saw Snow and Charming as her family and friends. She really wants them to remember that. She wants them to remember who they all are now.

"We also need to know why," Henry pipes up.

"What?" Emma asks.

"Well we need to know what Zelena did but we need to figure out why. Mom, you said Zelena wants to kill you but if that was true why would she curse you all here?"

_Zelena scowls as she stares at her mirror. Her time in Oz has been little more than a nuisance. Sure it's been a good place to hone her magic but god the people here are so annoying. She doesn't want to stay stuck here._

_She needs to prove something to the master who abandoned her, to everyone who abandoned her. Rumplestiltskin had provided a glimmer of hope in her otherwise dreary life only to snatch it away. She needs to find out why._

_"Show me Rumplestiltskin" she commands waving her hand in front of the glass. She's done this a few times since her training was abruptly discontinued. The first couple of times all she saw was Rumple preparing lessons for someone. That alone caused anger to boil in her blood. Not only did he give up on her claiming that she did not have the potential he needed but he's replaced her? How dare he?! She fumes needing to know who it is._

_She threads her fingers together as she waits. Finally he appears on the screen trailed by a young hopeful looking brunette._

_Zelena scoffs. This is who he picks to replace me? Seriously? The girl certainly doesn't look up to much. She continues to watch, her anger only growing as Rumple guides her to the table full of potions._

_"Come on dearie," Rumple encourages, "You know you can do this. The power is inside you Regina."_

_Regina._

_Regina._

_The name rings in her ears, an all too familiar name that strikes pain, resentment and rage into her heart. Regina._

Regina frowns at Henry’s question. The truth is she has no idea why Zelena wants to be rid of her. The other witch claimed it was to prove how powerful she was but Regina could tell there was more to it. She just didn’t know what. Ever since they met Regina has tried to remember running into Zelena or even hearing of her from her mother, Rumple or anyone else. Aside from mentions of a Wicked Witch in Oz Regina knows nothing about the woman.

“He’s right,” she says, “We need to figure out why she did this and why she wants me. So far this doesn’t make any sense.”

Emma nods, “It really doesn’t. If she just wanted to kill you couldn’t she have just done it while you were in prisoner? I mean I’m beyond glad she didn’t but why keep you alive?”

“I don’t know,” Regina says, “Let’s just add it to the Operation Cobra Rescue plan.”

“It’s going to be one long mission,” Henry says.

“It’ll be worth it kid. The first one got us all together right?” He nods and she continues, “This one is going to get us our family back.”

Regina smiles at Emma’s confidence squeezing Emma’s hand, “Speaking of let’s go pay a visit to your mother.” 

* * *

 

The three of them walk up the steps to the apartment building. Emma and Regina walk up hand in hand with Henry sticking close. It feels eerie to walk up the stairs. The building looks the same yet feels more claustrophobic and on the whole unsettling.

The whole town does.

“Ready?” Regina asks Emma who looks visibly nervous.

“I’m about to see my parents for the first time in a year,” Emma remarks. She doesn’t mean to snap but it’s a go to defence mechanism. Regina understands that and so squeezes her hand, “I’m right here and so is Henry. You’re not alone and you never will be.” Regina promises. Emma smiles, “I’m glad I’m doing this with you,” she says before capturing Regina’s lips in a soft loving kiss.

Henry gives them their moment before clearing his throat, “Okay guys so let’s start Operation Cobra Rescue,” he says before running up and knocking on the door before either of his mothers can stop him.

The door opens slowly to reveal Snow White who looks at them all blankly. At her vacant expression the smiles drop from Emma, Regina and Henry’s faces.

“Can I help you?” the pixie-haired woman asks politely.

Emma pales and shakes her head. She can’t find any words to say. Her mother is right there and yet doesn’t know her at all, as a daughter, as a friend, anything.

“Sorry,” Regina says recovering first, “We were looking for an old friend. We must have got the wrong apartment.” She squeezes Emma’s hand tugging her away before putting her arm around Henry and leading them all outside. When they get to the Bug she notices the tears dripping down Emma’s cheeks.

“Emma?” she ask softly.

“She looked right through me” Emma says.

Regina frowns sympathetically before pulling her in for a tight embrace, “She doesn’t remember Emma but we’ll get her to I promise.”

Henry joins them in the hug, “Yeah Ma we’re going to wake her up. We’ll wake everyone up. Until then we need to find a home.” 

* * *

 

After driving down Mifflin Street to find no trace of the mansion they end up at Granny’s. Luckily for them there is a room free. Henry immediately sits down and flips through his book for clues leaving Emma and Regina to talk.

“Emma I need to enchant your heart.”

“What?”

“I protected Henry’s with magic so no-one can take his. I don’t want Zelena to take yours. Please?” she asks.

Emma nods placing her hand over Regina’s as the brunette focuses her magic. Emma feels a sting as the magic sweeps over her heart before it’s all over. She winces before opening her eyes, “Did it work?”

Regina nods, “It worked.”

“Let me do you,” Emma says, “I’m serious. I know I haven’t got a lot of experience in magic but Zelena wants you dead which means we need to protect your heart too.”

Regina nods, “Okay take my hand.”

They link hands and Regina guides Emma’s hand to rest over her chest, “Visualise my heart. Visualise protecting it, putting a shield of sorts around it to keep it safe.”

Emma nods before thinking about keeping Regina safe. She thinks of how much it would hurt to lose Regina and how important it is to keep her heart right where it belongs. She feels a tingle of gold magic leave her fingertips and sees Regina wince before she relaxes.

“Did I do it?” Emma asks.

Regina nods, “Yes. We’re safe.” She looks around the room before adding, “Well sort of.” She sighs sadly remembering how her home, how their home simply wasn’t there anymore. It was as if the mansion never existed. All her memories of Henry growing up. All the memories she and Emma shared. Her life and happiness was tied into that place. Now it exists only in their minds. A tear rolls down her cheek.

Emma frowns before catching it. Today they all lost their home. They all realised that in a town where they were once known by everyone they are now strangers. Now they are in Granny’s, a hollow refuge as they have no home in which to sleep. It’s been a day of painful revelations. Operation Cobra Rescue is off to a harsh start. The mission is far harder than any of them realised it would be.

Emma leans forward wiping the tears from Regina’s cheeks. “I know,” she says in understanding kissing Regina’s forehead.

“I know how bleak it looks right now. No-one knows us. We have no home but we are going to fix this. We have each other Regina. The three of us are all together which means we have hope. We are going to get our home back Regina.” 

_Always happy to hear what you think. Hope you enjoyed. I shall try and update soon. Thank you very much for reading :)_


	2. Chapter Two

_Thank you for the feedback from the first chapter. I think this story will have about 8/9 chapters in total and I shall try to update weekly but it all depends on how quickly I write other stuff. Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)_

Emma is the first to wake. She flickers her eyes open slowly smiling as she sees Regina curled up in her arms. After so long apart she knows the sight will always make her smile. She looks over to the next bed to see Henry still sprawled out on his bed and dead to the world. Emma stifles a laugh as she marvels at her son’s ability to sleep like that. If she tried to sleep the way he was she would fall off the bed in seconds.

Emma disentangles herself from Regina before stretching and looking around the room. It’s exactly the same as Granny’s, the Granny’s she knows and yet like the rest of the town it just feels different. It’s hard to pin down exactly what Zelena has down to their town. It’s as if she replicated it but sucked the soul right out of it. Emma doesn’t know of any magic that can do that. She doesn’t know if it’s even possible for magic to remove the soul from an entire town let alone why a person would even want to do such a thing.

She walks over to her window like she did on her first morning in this little town and peers out the window. She smiles as she remembers looking down and seeing a confused and irritated Mayor staring back at her. Emma turns from the window to see Regina now sprawled across the bed in the exact same position as their son.  _Who knew we’d come so far?_  Emma thinks with a bright smile. Her second first day in Storybrooke is certainly a lot better than the first time around.

Emma looks back outside the window and watches the people she know go about the motions of a life. As she watches she realises she was right. It’s not the loss of memory. When she met people under the curse the first time round they still had life. They were still echoes of themselves. Now they’re just shells, truly without souls.

_How the hell do you give people back their souls?_ She wonders. Her heart aches to see her friends and family like this and she knows that she will do anything to give them back themselves. So wrapped up in her thoughts she doesn’t notice Regina getting up until the brunette hugs her from behind and rests her head on Emma’s shoulder.

“Morning,” Regina mumbles sleepily.

“Good morning,” Emma replies with a smile before kissing her.

“What are you doing?”

“Just looking,” Emma says, “It’s so different but I worked out what’s wrong. I know what’s missing.”

That wakes Regina up, “What?”

“The soul Regina,” Emma replies, “The soul of the town is gone. That’s why it feels so empty here because it is. Whatever Zelena did, she took away the soul of the town.”

Regina frowns as she watches the people move robotically on the streets. She knows Emma’s right. Without their memories, it was their souls that kept people who they were under the curse. Their souls meant that on some level they still knew themselves. Regina closes her eyes for a second as she thinks back through her magical training. She doesn’t know of any kind of magic powerful enough to collect souls.

That alone frightens her more than anything. If you know the enemy you can defeat it but what about the one you know nothing about? She instinctively snuggles closer to Emma seeking out the warmth and comfort of the blonde. She needs this. She missed this so much.

Right now it reminds her of the most important thing of all, that they still have their souls and Regina suspects that that fact could be the thing that saves them.

_For a while she broods. She watches and she plans. They all think she’s worthless, that there is always someone better than her. Well she’ll show them. She’ll show them all how powerful she is and then she will rewrite the world to give her what she needs._

_No more abandonment._

_No more being the second choice._

_No-one will give up on her because there will be no-one else to choose._

_No more Regina to take her place._

_Her rage had nowhere else to settle. Regina was the one he chose. Regina was the one he picked whilst he tossed her aside. She sneers as she thinks of how he simply cut her off claiming he’d found what he really needed elsewhere._

_Her power was all she had and he was going to deny her that? She can’t let that stand. Her magic was meant to be her salvation, her way of getting the life she should have had._

_What she had was a father to tell her she was worthless, to hate and resent her. Her mother might have loved her but she can’t remember since she was taken so long ago. An accident. A careless one but enough for everyone to blame her for it._

_No-one told her she could be worth anything. She was just the freak. Trouble. The one to avoid. When the town needed a scapegoat she was the obvious choice and boy did they take advantage of having her to blame._

_In the end her power was all that defined her and then when finally it seemed like she could use it to have the life she dreamed of she was abandoned once again. Worthless again._

_Well no more. She’s been done with being the second choice for a long time. Now she can finally seek revenge against Rumplestiltskin. He chose Regina. Everyone chooses someone who isn’t her and they’ll all pay for it._

_She heard of the curse Regina cast and she knows she can do better and she will. What better to destroy someone then to use their own curse? Except of course with her own twist. Years of watching will finally pay off. She will finally prove to Rumple that she is worth something and then she will craft the life she wants. A life where no-one will choose another because she will be the only choice they have._

_She just needs their souls._

_She scoffs as she thinks of Regina’s curse. All the other woman did was take their memories and she called that robbing them of their happy endings? Pathetic. Zelena knows to truly ruin a happy ending you have to take away everything about that person. You need to take their souls. She adds the final ingredient to her potion and smiles victoriously._

_She’ll have all the souls she needs._

_What makes it even better is that she’ll make Storybrooke the site of Regina’s downfall. No happy endings in that town._

After getting dressed the family decide to head to Granny’s for breakfast. The curse may have removed the soul from the town but there is still only one restaurant to go to. Emma wraps an arm around Regina as they walk. She’s noticed how quiet the brunette is.

“Are you okay?” she asks as Henry bounds ahead to the Diner remembering how good their cocoa is.

Regina sighs before turning to Emma, “When I cast the curse this town was meant to be a place for my happy ending. Later when you came I thought it could be a place for everyone’s. But now, it has no soul. She took the happy endings out of the town. She took Storybrooke.” It’s hard for her to sum up just exactly how much that hurts her. Zelena took what she built and managed to destroy it whilst making it look the same. Seeing it makes her heart ache because it is not her Storybrooke.

Emma nods in understanding. It hit her hard too to see that her home was visibly the same and yet not quite her home. “We’re going to bring back those happy endings,” she promises.

Regina nods half-heartedly, “How can you be so sure?”

Emma turns and takes both of Regina’s hands, “Because against all odds you came back to me and Henry. I have hope because we already did the impossible. Regina, hope and love brought us back together and it’s going to help us save everyone. You just need to believe, in us and you.”

Regina smiles, “I’ll try.”

Emma smiles back at her, “That’s a start. We’re going to find a way Regina.”

“I know,” Regina says. Emma’s right. If they can find a way back together then surely they can find a way to be saviours? Regina reminds herself to hope and to believe. It’s hard when faced with the ghost of her town but she can try. She squeezes Emma’s hand to remind herself of what they’ve already done and feels a surge of hope.

Emma smiles at her before moving them forward, “Let’s start by getting breakfast.”

They walk inside and both women pause upon seeing someone talking to Henry. To Emma the woman is a stranger and that enough is to put all her senses on high alert. For Regina, even without the green pigmenting her skin, it’s easy to recognise her.

“That’s her,” she whispers into Emma’s ear. The blonde nods knowing who she means. “Play it cool,” she whispers back and Regina nods. They don’t know if Zelena remembers. Even if she does they don’t want to give anything away. Not yet.

Luckily for them they don’t have to worry about Henry giving anything away.

“We’re just in town looking for someone,” he tells the unfamiliar woman sticking to their cover story. Like Emma, the mere fact that he didn’t recognise her was enough for him to see her as a threat.

“Oh who?” Zelena asks keeping her voice cold and steady.

“Just an old friend,” Emma says as she walks over. “Hi, I’m Emma Swan.”

“Zelena,” she replies, “I’m the Mayor of this town.”

Regina does her best to hide a scowl as she smiles politely, “Regina Mills.”

“Pleasure to meet you both, good luck finding your friend,” she says blankly before swiftly exiting the Diner.

Regina and Emma sit across from Henry. “So what do you think?” Emma asks.

“What do you mean?” Henry asks.

“Does she not remember or is she playing us?”

Henry nods, “Playing us.”

“How can you be so sure kid?” Emma asks.

“Because under the original curse Mom remembered,” he says.

“It’s true,” Regina adds, “As the caster she’ll remember. If she didn’t she wouldn’t have come over to talk to Henry. Look at everyone else. They don’t care that we’re new here or that we’re here. She only knows us as new because she remembers that we’re not supposed to be here.”

Emma nods as she looks around the Diner to see that Regina is right. No-one else seems to have even noticed that they’re in town let alone that they’re strangers. “So what’s our plan?” she asks.

“Well as mission control for Operation Cobra Rescue,” Henry begins before Regina cuts him off, “Why are you mission control?”

“Because I spearheaded Operation Cobra.”

“He has a point Regina,” Emma says wrapping her head around her pouting girlfriend.

“Fine but we all have to agree on the plan.”

“Agreed,” Henry says, “Anyway I think our first step is to assimilate.”

“Okay,” Emma says, “Might be difficult. We can’t exactly pretend we don’t have souls kid.”

“No,” Henry replies, “But we can pretend we don’t remember and start becoming part of the town. We assimilate. We gather intel. We defeat her. We bring back the happy endings.” 

_Thanks for reading :)_


	3. Chapter Three

_Thanks for the feedback to the last chapter. Apologies for the delay in the update. Now I've finished uni things should hopefully be less hectic. Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you like this chapter :)_

"You want me to work at the pawnshop?" Regina asks staring at the shop previously occupied by Gold and now by Belle.

"It makes sense," Henry says, "There's bound to be magic left over there and you'll recognise it before Ma does."

"Kid has a point Regina."

Regina sighs, "I know but a pawnshop?"

Emma chuckles, "Suck it up Regina. I'm about to become a waitress. You're a pawnshop assistant. Remember it's all part of Operation Cobra Rescue."

"Fine," Regina says, "But when this is over I better be Mayor again."

"You've got my vote," Emma replies before giving her pouting girlfriend a sweet kiss, "Just think of the big picture Regina. In that shop might be something that can help us. We need someone on the inside."

"I know," Regina nods, "Now Henry do you remember the alibi?"

He nods, "We were looking for our friend but they're not here. However we like the town so decided to stick around for a bit. Also the Bug broke down so we had to."

Emma frowns, "The Bug will be working in no time."

Regina smiles wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist, "I'm sure the deathtrap will be fine dear."

"I hope so. Do soulless mechanics know how to fix beautiful cars?"

Regina rolls her eyes, "Emma they still know how to go about their lives. Without their souls they can go through the motions."

"Kind of like robots," Henry says.

"Exactly," Regina replies sadly.

Emma pulls her closer hearing her shift in town, "We'll get them back."

"I know," Regina says. "I know," she repeats more confidently, "We just need to try and make someone believe. You're going to try and befriend your mother?"

Emma nods, "Yes. Hopefully this will work."

Regina gives Emma a comforting squeeze knowing how hard it is for the blonde to be around her parents when they have no idea who she is, "It will. You broke the first curse because you believed and kissed Henry. Maybe this time it will be the same."

"But we both kissed Henry and nothing happened," Emma says remembering their attempts this morning.

"Henry was never part of either curse. However you were part of the first curse and that's why your kiss worked. This time neither are you part of the curse. I suppose neither am I since I escaped it. It means it has to be someone in town and your parents are a good place to start."

Emma nods, "True they do seem to find each other a lot. But they don't have souls so can they still feel true love?"

Regina sighs, "That's what I don't know and why we need to find some spell books. There might be some in this store but I think we should also try and find my vault. If it's still here then it could be of use to us."

"We also need to find where Zelena's hiding out," Henry chimes in, "I bet she's keeping the souls close by so she can use them for something."

"First of all you kid are going to enrol in school and stay safe there. Second I, and I'm sure your Mom agrees, don't want you going off on your own and trying to find her. You're our world kid and we don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'll stay safe Ma. Just don't shut me out."

"We won't," Regina promises, "And he's right. She'll have the souls close at hand for whatever she's planning."

"But she already cast the curse," Emma says, "What else does she have planned?"

"I imagine dear that she cast the curse so she could get what she needed. Think about it, here in Storybrooke no-one would suspect a thing because they can't. She can get what she wants without much trouble."

"Until we came along," Henry says, "Because we're going to stop her. It's what Team Swan-Mills does."

Regina smiles warmly, "Team Swan-Mills?"

"Yep, that's us and we defeat curses and super villains and then when we're done we get ice-cream."

Emma chuckles, "Kid when this is done you can have all the ice-cream you want," at Regina's pointed look she adds, "You know within reason, like 4, I mean 3 scoops?"

Regina grins at her, "3 scoops will be fine. Maybe they'll even give us free ice-cream for saving them?"

Emma smiles before pulling her in for another kiss. She taps Regina's nose gently, "There you go again, looking at the bigger picture."

_Zelena chuckles as she observes the denizens of Storybrooke through her mirror. She knows what they'll think about her curse. They think they know who the Saviour is. They'll think Emma is their only hope._

_She's heard talk of this Emma, of how important she is to so many people including Regina._

_They think she's the Saviour, that she will save them from whatever Zelena has planned if they only get someone to their world._

_Zelena can't help but laugh._

_They almost make it too easy for her to get to them. The fact that they have no idea who the saviour is even better. She watches them, clueless peasants she thinks. If she were Regina she would have destroyed them long ago but clearly the other woman does not share her passion for destruction._

_Regina's revenge was small time compared to hers._

_Her revenge was easy to undo._

_Zelena's certainly won't be._

_Zelena's has a saviour of course but it's not who they think it is and she will destroy her before she can undo anything. All she has to do is trap her somewhere where she is powerless. It's why Storybrooke is perfect. In that town no-one will be able to stop her because they won't know to. She'll have their souls once her curse hits and they won't get them back unless the curse breaks and well she doesn't see that happening._

_Not when she captures the one she needs._

_Her plan needs the heart and soul of the one she hates most. Now that's the one who everyone chose over her._

_She'll trap Regina in Storybrooke and defeat her in her own home._

_Then she'll have the life she dreamed._

Luckily it doesn't take long for Belle to take Regina on as her assistant. The other woman needed help and didn't have the opportunity to say no. Regina knows that if Belle had had a choice she'd be out on the sidewalk thinking of ways to break into the backroom right now.

Part of her feels a pang of sympathy for Belle. She knows what it's like to lose your true love and to think you will never see them again. She knows Belle tried to find Rumple. She wonders if Belle ever got close, if it was even possible for her to find him.

She found Emma. It gives her hope that others will find each other too.

“We keep everything in here,” Belle says breaking her from her reverie. She finds that the lack of spirit in Belle’s voice saddens her. She was never friends with the woman but she admired her independence and her faith. It upsets her more than she realised it could to see the people of her town so lifeless.

Regina nods as Belle points to the backroom, “Do you get much business?”

Belle shrugs, “Some. Mostly people who need birthday gifts. There aren’t many shops in town.”

Regina smiles knowingly before remembering her cover, “I noticed. Does the Mayor ever come in? I saw her at the Diner earlier.”

Belle pauses before answering, “She comes in most mornings. Asks me if there’s any news on my husband, he went missing a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Regina says wincing at the implanted memory and the fact that Zelena is doing what she did to Snow, needling her over her loss.

“It’s okay. He’ll turn up one day,” Belle says flatly, “She looks around a lot but she never sees what she’s looking for.”

Regina nods digesting the small nugget of information. Zelena needs something. The fact that she can’t find it here can only be a good thing. Even though she doesn’t know what it is it buys them some time.

Belle potters around the shop not really paying her any attention which gives Regina an opportunity to explore the backroom. When Belle pops her head in she pretends to be organising something which does the trick.

Regina sighs as she sweeps her gaze around the shop. Nothing pops out although she suspected it wouldn’t. If Rumple had something here it wouldn’t be out in the open. She knows she can’t look for hidden safes or drawers without alerting Belle’s suspicion. She frowns as she sits.  _So far this has been a bust_ she thinks as her eyes glance over the papers on the table.

She quirks a brow up as she notices the maps of Storybrooke. She knows the layout of the town well given that she created it. Yet she can’t help but be drawn to the map purely because this time she sees something she didn’t expect. She smiles seeing an estate that doesn’t belong.

_Always happy to hear what you think. Thanks for reading :)_


	4. Chapter Four

_Once again I apologise for the delay. It was half term and I was looking after my brother which did not leave a lot of time for writing! I hope you like this chapter :)_

"It's so creepy," Henry says as he and Emma wander up and down the streets.

"I know kid," Emma replies as she subtly tugs him a bit closer. There's no obvious danger around but in a new curse with wicked witches lying around you can never be too careful. It feels weird just to be in this town right now. It's their home and yet it isn't.

"Even under the first curse it was still real. I mean it still felt real. This is just" he pauses not knowing what to call it. He frowns and his shoulders slump as he takes in the replica of the town he grew up in. It is just that. A replica. It isn't his home. His home is gone and it saddens him more than he thought it would. He spent so long trying to leave the mansion and his Mom. He spent a year trying to save Storybrooke. He spent more than a year away from it. Now he's back in town and he's seeing all the people he used to know but all he wants back is that mansion. It might seem silly given that the gravity of their mission but inside that mansion are all his good happy memories with his Mom growing up. He may have spent a long time trying to escape but there's a lot in there that he loved. He just really wants it back.

Emma sighs seeing her son's dejected face. She loops her arm over his shoulders knowing what he's thinking about, "We'll get our home back kid."

"Our?" he asks, "Do you think you'll come live with us?"

She smiles, "Henry after all this you and your Mom are probably going to end up getting sick of me. I'll be attached to your Mom's hip."

Henry chuckles, "I don't think she'll get sick of that and I will never get sick of having you around. When this all ends we can finally be together. It's going to be great."

"It will be Henry," Emma promises. It's the thought of her, Regina and Henry having a home together that gives her the hope and strength for their mission to save Storybrooke.

She can see Henry looking glumly down again and decides to change topic in the hopes of distracting him from sadness, "So how do you feel about starting school again tomorrow?"

He shrugs, "I'm not sure. On one hand it'll be good for our cover and I'll get to see Grandma well sort of but it's still not the same. I just really hope we break this curse soon you know?"

"I know kid. We're working as fast as we can okay? Who knows? Maybe your Mom found something in Gold's shop?" she suggests hopefully.

They walk into the pawn shop and both frown upon seeing the former librarian milling around alone. Belle turns upon seeing the pair in her shop, "Can I help you?" she asks dully.

"We're looking for Regina. We were going to pick her up for lunch," Emma says feeling a pang of worry stir in her gut.

Belle frowns, "Oh she went out to lunch about an hour ago. I've been expecting her back actually."

"When did she leave?" Emma asks.  _Damnit Regina_ she thinks  _now is not the time for solo mission._ She can feel fear pooling in her stomach and coursing through her mind as she begins to think about all the terrible things that could possibly befall her girlfriend. She's sure Regina will be okay but she can't help but panic especially in times like these.

Belle looks up at her clock, "An hour and twenty minutes ago. She probably got lost in town or something. You are new here after all. I'm sure she'll turn up and be fine."

"Of course," Emma nods, "I'll just go have a look for her."

They exit the shop quickly and Henry's frown deepens, "Emma where's Mom?"

_She scoffs when she hears them say that Rumple is dead. Do they really think it would be that easy to get rid of him? Zelena refuses to believe so. She wants him to have a front row seat to her revenge. She wants him to sit there and watch while she destroys Regina and rewrites life her own way and know he is powerless to stop her._

_All she needs is the dagger and in Storybrooke it will be easy to find. She has no idea where it is now mind you but that’s because she needs Rumple first._

_Luckily finding him will be easy. She’s been watching the group and she knows just who to get to help her along._

_She smiles as she watches Belle and Neal talking about trying to Rumple. It’s almost too easy to gain control of Lumiere and trick the pair into summoning Rumple. To be fair she told them everything. She just might have left out the price part._

_Zelena cackles to herself as she watches Neal slump over in front of his newly resurrected father. Rumple took her hope when he chose that brat Regina over her. It’s only fair that she do the same to him._

_Once he reappeared so did the dagger. Luckily for her, Rumple and Belle were far too busy with Neal to notice her grab the dagger._

_“Such a pity,” she says announcing her arrival. Rumple glares up at her, “You,” he spits out darkly. She ignores him, “Who’d have thought the dark one could be trapped so easily. Now come dear pet. The show’s not over yet.”_

_She forces him to crawl behind her. On his hands and knees. She spent her childhood as a servant scrubbing on her own. Weak. Powerless. She’ll make him do the same. One day she’ll have Regina do the same._

_“What are you planning to do?” Rumple asks once she locks him in his tiny cage. “Or am I just to sit here while you play dress up and pretend to be Regina?” he adds with a sneer._

_“Please,” she says with a dismissive scowl, “Like I want to pretend to be her. We’re here because I want to defeat her in her own castle. You made a mistake choosing her Rumple and I’m going to prove that to you.”_

_He scoffs, “You really believe that? You’re a fool.”_

_She whirls around using her magic to zip his mouth shut, “No you were. You still are. You really still believe she’s better than me,” jealousy flares in her eyes, “Because she isn’t. I will defeat her. I will kill her and this time around you won’t be there to stop me.”_

Regina follows her pilfered map to a farmhouse tucked away in the woods. She crouches down by some trees as she watches Zelena exit the house and drive towards town. She smiles knowing she’s found the right place. She reaches in her pocket for her phone and curses upon realising she must have left it in their room.

_Great day to forget a phone Regina_.

She pauses before chewing her lip in thought. She knows she should just go back and find Emma and then come back here but she has no idea how long Zelena will be gone for. By the time she goes to find Emma and Henry their chance to find answers might already be gone.

_I’ll tell her later_ she thinks as she darts from the trees and over to the house. She peers through the windows to double check the coast is clear before using one of the tricks Emma taught her to open the door.

Everything looks normal at first. It looks like a regular little bungalow and Regina frowns. Whatever magic Zelena has is clearly hidden well. She scans the books but the one she wants is not in sight. She continues exploring only to find nothing. She sighs in frustration before spotting another door tucked away in a corner.

She can feel magic tingling in the air as she approaches. She pulls the door open slowly to reveal a basement. The pull of magic increases as she walks down the wooden steps.

She blinks her eyes in the cold darkness of the basement and shudders as she gropes for a light switch. When she can’t find one she creates a fireball and wanders over to where she sees a shelf. She picks up various potions and written down spell parts and frowns in confusion.  _What the hell is she planning?_ She can’t figure it out from these parts just yet. She makes a note in her mind so she can work it out later. She’s about to leave when she spots something on the other side of the room.

She crosses over and flashes up another fireball.

She gasps, “Rumple?”

He looks up at her from his tiny cage, “You shouldn’t have come here.” 

_Thanks for reading :)_


	5. Chapter Five

_My apologies for the delay in updating. I went camping for a few days and so couldn't get this up as fast as I hoped. Hopefully the next one will be up sooner. Thank you for the response so far and I hope you like this chapter :)_

Regina walks over to the cage wrapping her hands around the cold bars as she looks for a latch or some way of opening it. Rumple sighs, "There's no way dearie. Only Zelena can open it."

Regina frowns before looking at him, "She has your magic," she can tell straight away. If he had it he'd be out of here and trying to stop Zelena like she is, or at least she assumes he would be. After all Zelena has trapped his beloved Belle under this curse too.

He nods, "She has the dagger which is why you need to leave."

"No I need to get you out of here. Do you know what she did to this town?" Regina asks feeling herself begin to get frustrated by his insistence that she go.

Again he nods solemnly, "She took its soul as a way to further punish you. She felt your defeat should take place in the home you created but she also wanted you to feel what it was to be so close to what you want only for it not to be real."

At that Regina lets out a bitter chuckle, "Of course because my life has been all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. She has no idea what my life was like. She has no idea how many times I felt I was close to happiness only for it to be ripped away from me."

Rumple nods again, "I know Regina but you're missing the most important part."

"What?" Regina snaps irritably.

"That this is all a trap."

Regina whirls around at the sound of a new voice and sees Zelena standing at the top of the stairs with a victorious smirk. Well, at least they were right about her faking her soullessness. It's a small consolation but at this point Regina might take that victory because at the moment her situation looks pretty bleak. She curses herself for not heeding Rumple's advice and leaving when she had the chance. Truthfully she doubts she ever did have that chance. She wants to curse herself for falling into the trap and coming to Storybrooke but she knows that even with the knowledge she has now she would still have wanted to come. The people of this town have grown on her and Storybrooke is her home. Regina knows that she would do anything to save it now, even if it was just a set-up.

"I'm so disappointed," Zelena drawls as the sound of her heels tapping down the stairs fills the basement. She looks Regina up and down before frowning, "Not what I expected from a queen."

Regina rolls her eyes at the remark, "Well pardon me if I felt a curse took precedence over my wardrobe."

"Still dear," Zelena begins, "One would think you would go for something at least a little more regal. Though I suppose you're sharing the Sheriff's bed so why not her clothes?"

Regina feels her anger rise up as the other woman mentions Emma. Her main priority is making sure no harm comes to Emma or Henry. She fears that she may be too late. If Zelena already knows their connection then she knows how to hurt Regina most. "Enough of this," she snaps, "What is it you want from me?"

"Oh that's easy," Zelena replies, "You."

Regina stays silent waiting for the other woman to continue. Ideally she needs her to keep talking as long as possible. If she's talking she's not cursing or drawing her into a magic fight. Talking is less likely to physically injure her. It will rile her up but it will prevent harm coming to her. She knows she needs to draw this out as long as possible to make sure Emma can find her in time so they can take this woman down and return the town to normal.

"You see Regina everyone chooses you. I've heard your story. Oh woe is me poor Regina and all that. Really it was ridiculous. I mean honestly Regina you had everything. You were a queen. You were taught by Rumple. You were always chosen and yet still you weren't happy. Talk about ingratitude. I, on the other hand was meant to be taught by Rumple until he chose you. Magic was the only hope I had in my life Regina and because of you it was snatched away. As usual I was left to fend for myself. Unlike you I saw what little I had and chose to utilise it. I knew one day I could prove everyone wrong. He chose you Regina but that's going to change. I'm going to prove to Rumple he made a mistake and destroy his chosen one in the process."

Regina laughs at the plan, "Seriously? I've heard such great talk about the mighty and terrifying wicked witch and this is your game plan? So much potential and all aimed at petty revenge and jealousy. Pathetic." She doesn't mean it. She just needs to taunt Zelena for a while to keep this talk going.  _Come on Emma_  she thinks hoping the other woman will find her soon. She's not sure how much longer this will last. Sooner or later Zelena will snap.

Zelena whirls around to Rumple, "You better tell your chosen one to shut up."

"She's not my puppet dearie," he replies.

"No she isn't but you're mine. Perhaps I should have you do the honours and take her heart?" she suggests releasing him from the cage.

"You really still believe this will work?" Rumple asks as Zelena raises the dagger and directs him towards Regina who stands her ground and waits.

_“You realise your plan will fail?” Rumple asks from his position at the spinning wheel. So far Zelena has imprisoned him in his own castle forcing him to spin and spin to the point where he thinks he might be losing his mind. In moments of dawning insanity he thinks of Belle, the reason he has for fighting and keeping hope. So long as he has her he has a reason to fight Zelena rather than take the easy way out and go along with her plans._

_She turns to him with an unimpressed glare, “I think it’s sweet you’ll believe that.”_

_“There’s a reason I chose Regina all those years ago Zelena. She’s more powerful than you and unlike you she is not alone.”_

_“I think you’ll find I’m not alone. I have the power of the dark one at my disposal whereas Regina is separated from her beloved saviour. They all are. She’ll be easy to defeat.”_

_“You underestimate her.”_

_“No. You underestimated me,” she counters bitterly, “You picked her over me Rumple and that was a mistake. I can defeat her and I will. You overestimate your star pupil. She will walk right into my trap Rumple and then I will finally prove to you once and for all that you should have picked me. Then once she’s out of the way you’ll have no choice but to pick me.”_

_“Oh yes your little time travel plan. You do realise no-one has ever been able to master that particular spell?”_

_“Well their pathetic attempts didn’t have the ingredients I will. Rumple their attempts all failed because they missed what they needed most. To go back in time you need the heart of the one who took your place and that I will have.”_

_“And the souls? What is the purpose of that?”_

_“Oh that,” Zelena chuckles as if her curse was a mere afterthought, “That dear Rumple is just to drive the knife in. She’ll escape the curse. I have no doubts about that but when she sees her little town devoid of feeling she’ll be drawn to fixing it. Her new found need to play the hero will be her downfall.”_

_He shakes his head. Zelena seems to be forgetting the power of true love. Her plan hinges of trapping Regina and stealing her heart. He hopes Regina will avoid the trap but knows she won’t. Her desire to save the life she built and her family will land her in Zelena’s clutches but what Zelena fails to see is that her plan sees Regina as alone and heartbroken. Rumple knows otherwise. He knows that Regina will not be coming alone._

_He only hopes her connection with Emma is enough to save them all._

Emma frowns as she and Henry hurry through the town. Something isn’t right. She can feel it. She could tell when Regina was in danger when she was stuck in New York and she can feel it now. It’s a cool fear pooling in her gut that tells her she needs to find Regina and fast. “Kid stay at Granny’s.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” he says, “No way Ma. We’re in this together. If we’re going to stop Zelena then it needs all of us. You and Mom are true loves and we’re a family. You two can defeat her and I can help. Trust me Ma this is going to take all of us.”

“Henry,” Emma says seriously, “We don’t know where your Mom is. We don’t know what Zelena will do when we get there. I can’t risk putting you in any danger. You mean too much to me and your Mom. I know you’re scared for her kid and so am I but I will not endanger your life and I know your Mom would agree.”

He sighs knowing it’s true, “I’ll stay in the car,” he promises hoping Emma will relent.

She nods, “Okay fine. We need to go back in the shop first.”

“Why?” he asks.

“Because Regina wouldn’t have left for no reason. She must have seen something in the shop.”

He nods in agreement and they re-enter the pawn shop. Belle barely registers their presence and quickly points them to where Regina had been working. She sees no reason to question their suggestion. She simply carries on working moving her way lifelessly around the shop.  _We have got to fix this_ Emma thinks sadly before moving to the backroom. She enters the room and sees no sign of anything that looks like a clue. All she spots is a disturbed group of papers. She looks them over and frowns as all she sees are maps.

“What the hell did you find Regina?” Emma asks aloud as Henry rifles through the maps.

“I think I know,” he replies before handing one to her. He points to a new bit of land, “She’ll be there.”

“How do you know kid?” Emma asks.

“Because it’s where I would go,” Henry says, “And I know Mom. So do you. She’s stubborn and if she saw something that shouldn’t be here she’d check it out.”

“Like you and the mines,” Emma says with a small sigh. Regina and Henry share a lot of characteristics. Sometimes, including this moment, Emma wishes they didn’t share this drive to investigate and put themselves in danger. She knows that she wouldn’t have Regina or Henry any other way than how they are but still she hates it when they end up missing or hurt.

“Exactly,” Henry replies with a worried frown. He only hopes that his Mom won’t be in as much danger as he was in those mines. At least he and Emma know where to go. “Come on Ma,” he says, “Let’s go help Mom take down a wicked witch.” 

_Thanks for reading :)_


	6. Chapter Six

_Hi all. Thank you for the feedback to the last chapter and I apologise for the delay in updates. Apologies for any mistakes and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)_

Emma speeds the car through town, not that anyone notices anyway, until she reaches the edge of the woods. She parks the car knowing that it will be better to go the rest of the way by foot purely because it will be stealthier and make it easier for her to search the terrain for Zelena's estate. She turns to face Henry seeing his determined face. "Henry I need you to stay in the car." As soon as she finishes her sentence she sees him shaking his head.

Emma sighs knowing exactly why he wants to come with her. However she doesn't want to risk endangering his life. He's been through enough peril in his twelve short years. She doesn't want him to have to go through anymore. Emma missed the first ten years of his life and she never expected to have him back in her life at all. The fact that she did get a chance to meet him makes her happier than she ever thought she could be. Her son brought her light and hope in her otherwise boring and lonely life. He brought her home and she loves him so much. She doesn't want to lose him or Regina.

"Henry please I cannot lose you. Neither can your Mom. We've both nearly lost you too many times kid and I can't be the one to endanger your life so please just stay in the car," she pleads.

He shakes his head defiantly, "No. Ma I know you want to keep me safe but if you leave me here then I'm just going to sneak out of the car and come anyway. Let me come Ma. I can help."

"How kid? By putting yourself in danger. Look I know you want to help but the fact of the matter is that you being there is one more person for me to worry about."

"And me not being there is the same. Regina's your true love and you want to do the saving but she's also my Mom. I've been the one to put her in danger and I've been there to watch you two fight to save me. I spent a long time angry at her and letting her think I hated her. I'm not going to sit back and wait and hope she's okay. This time it's my turn to save her."

Emma sighs again. "Henry I know you want to help her. Trust me I know that but it is not your job to save her."

"I'm volunteering anyway. Ma you said it yourself. We're strongest together and that includes me. If Mom is going to defeat Zelena then she needs to know what she's fighting for and that she has our support in this. We can't leave her there alone and whilst you two are strong, you're strongest when you fight for me."

"We can fight for you if you're safe here in this car."

"Ma I'm not arguing," Henry says firmly before getting out the car, "Now I'm going to go get Mom. You can either sit there and argue with me or you can come with me." He slams the door shut before grabbing the map and taking off towards the estate. Emma frowns before running off after him.

"You stay out of the way," Emma warns. "I mean it Henry. No putting yourself in danger. No making your presence known. You stay out of sight and you stick close to me. Our priority here Henry is saving your Mom and defeating Zelena. Please promise me you'll remember that."

Henry nods. "I promise Ma. I won't try and be a hero this time. I just need to know she's okay. I need her to know what she's capable of. Dark magic Ma isn't going to work this time and I think if Mom sees us both she'll remember what she's truly capable of."

"She'll know kid," Emma promises before the pair walk off through the woods and towards where they hope Regina is.

 

_“Love,” Zelena spits out the word curling in her mouth with contempt. She cackles startling the imp in his cave. He sighs knowing she’s been watching Regina pine over Emma and is no doubt taking great enjoyment in the separation of the pair. His heart aches as he thinks of Belle and then Bae. Two loves. One he has lost forever and one he does not know if he will ever be reunited with. True love is all that gives him hope at the moment but with each day of captivity that hope begins to wane._

_Zelena walks over to his cage. She does so love an audience for her little speeches and it has been rather amusing to watch as Rumple spins and tries to keep hope that he will be reunited with his one true love. So sweet, she thinks, so pointless._

_“You really do believe in it don’t you?” she asks with a cruel smirk, “This love.”_

_“True love is the most powerful magic of all,” he reminds her and she laughs dismissively, “Oh yes you do believe that don’t you? Regina however is full of dark magic. Do you really think love will overpower that?”_

_His silence is confirmation enough for her, “No. The days will go by and she’ll lose hope. Even if she does go back there’ll be in my Storybrooke and I’m sure I’ll find a way to take care of her saviour. You can believe in their power all you like Rumple. Together they’re stronger and all that but apart Rumple we both know you corrupted her with darkness.”_

_“A darkness that you craved. For one so dismissive of her magic you do seem awfully eager to go back and gain her magic and training.”_

_“Her magic is pitiful compared to mine. My point Rumple in going back is to reverse your mistake. Can’t you imagine it Rumple? Had you taught me instead of her? I had so much more potential. We could have had everything.”_

_“You wanted nothing that I wanted.”_

_“I’m sure we could have come to an arrangement. Besides which if I go back you can have your son again.”_

_“Not like this,” Rumple replies. A few months ago it would have been tempting but he knows his son would never want him to do this. He may not have always done right as a father but the least he can do is honour his son’s memory. Bae wanted him to give up darkness and power and just be his father, be good. He can do that now. He can try._

_“As you will,” Zelena says twirling a pendant in her hands, “Even so you’ll be back there and there’s no way of stopping me. My magic is far greater than any darkness Regina can wield.”_

_Rumple laughs. His hope is not gone yet and he knows Regina is capable of far more than Zelena expects. He may have warned her about the saviour but he won’t about Regina’s true potential. He’ll at least give them that one upper hand. Now he just has to hope Regina will find what she has in her, what she’s always had but never allowed herself to wield. In this fight she’ll need it._

Rumple fights the dagger as best he can but he still makes slow painful steps towards Regina who simply stares at him. “You don’t have to do this,” she says evenly. Zelena laughs, “But he does. No-one can stop the darkness,” she taunts as Rumple attempts to fight her control. She flourishes the dagger once more sending him closer.

_Any minute now_ she thinks gleefully and the door flies open revealing Emma and a boy who stands behind the protective blonde. “Oh look Regina my audience has arrived.”

Regina looks up and sees Emma and Henry. Emma she expected but not Henry. It doesn’t take long for it to click. He refused to stay behind needing to prove that he was here for her, that he does love her.  _Oh Henry_  she thinks  _I already knew that_. She meets Emma’s eyes and smiles knowing that together they are powerful enough to take down this pesky witch.

Emma nods before coming down the stairs leaving Henry at the top to keep him out of the fray. She keeps a watchful eye on Zelena who she notices simply allows her to stand beside Regina. She frowns as she takes Regina’s hand wondering why Zelena isn’t even fighting her. Realisation hits her the second the witch spins round with a raised hand.  _She wants to separate us_  she thinks as Zelena throws her roughly against the wall. Before she can do anything she’s pinned up against a wall and she can feel the dark magic choking her.

“Regina,” she croaks out, “Stop this.”

Regina looks at her fearfully before shooting a wave at dark magic at Zelena. Nothing happens. Zelena merely smirks and continues choking Emma. Regina can feel panic and anger rising in her as she watches Zelena harm the woman she loves with all her heart. “Mom!” Her head raises at the shout and she sees Henry waving to get her attention. “Mom!” he shouts, “It’s not dark magic you need.”

“But it’s all I’m capable of,” she argues back as she once again tries to hold Zelena back. She repels her for an instant letting Emma fall to the floor. Zelena turns her attention to a distracted Regina before magically holding her up. Emma runs to go help her but Zelena is faster and freezes the blonde where she stands.

“No it’s not!” Henry shouts, “Come on Mom think about. Think about your heart. I know you still fear that you’re just the evil queen and that it’s all darkness but it isn’t. You broke a curse with Ma. That takes light magic. You have light in your heart Mom. Please just think about. You can do it. You are a hero and you can be one now. You can save Emma, yourself, me, all of us. Trust me Mom because I believe in you and what you’re capable of. You just need to believe too.” 

_Thanks for reading :)_


	7. Chapter Seven

 

Previously:

_"No it's not!" Henry shouts, "Come on Mom think about. Think about your heart. I know you still fear that you're just the evil queen and that it's all darkness but it isn't. You broke a curse with Ma. That takes light magic. You have light in your heart Mom. Please just think about. You can do it. You are a hero and you can be one now. You can save Emma, yourself, me, all of us. Trust me Mom because I believe in you and what you're capable of. You just need to believe too."_

* * *

The dark magic wraps around Regina holding her tightly as Henry calls out to her. Regina can feel the darkness battling against her magic and trying to overwhelm her. She fights back. She has to. With every part of she resists Zelena's power and struggles against it. As Henry speaks she realises the problem. She's been trying to channel her dark magic only it hasn't been working so well.

Regina's noticed a change in her magic in the past. She was still powerful and her magic was still incredibly effective. However it's felt different. She's just never stopped to consider why. While she was stuck in the Enchanted Forest without Emma and Henry her focus was on survival, escaping Zelena and finding a way home to her family. She has noticed a change in her magic but she had attributed it to grief or to being apart from Emma who has always boosted her power.

Even when back in Storybrooke when she used magic it was not for darkness. She used it to protect Emma and Henry. It worked but its difference came in its source. Her intention for that magic was not dark and so it came from elsewhere. Regina chalked its difference up to an after effect of true love's kiss.

She never considered that she truly had changed.

She knew that love had healed her broken heart. Regina could feel that her fragile heart had grown stronger with the love of Henry and Emma. They saw the good in her and encouraged her to believe in it. She let herself. She thinks back to the magic she used to get back to this world. It didn't come from darkness at all. It came from a desire to go home and be reunited with those she loves.

Her magic was crafted to be dark. At the time she started learning she was still innocent. She never imagined she could go back to that kind of good. Regina had always imagined her heart was too corrupt, too blackened to ever be fixed. She never realised that even the most broken objects can be repaired with the right glue. In this case all her heart needed was the strength of love and faith.

Regina looks at Zelena whose expression is full of vengeance and envy. She understands magic borne of darkness and how sometimes in life it far too easy to succumb to the temptations of such emotions. Forgiveness is a far longer and harder path but as she has learned its rewards are far greater. In loving Emma and Henry she has learned to forgive and how to be forgiven. The bonds she has forged because of that are worth so much more than the dark and lonely path of vengeance.

In that moment when she looks at Zelena she realises she never wants the darkness back. She'd much rather have love than isolation. She looks away from the wicked witch and instead looks to her son and Emma. She thinks not of who she wants to defeat but of who she wants to protect. Herself. Henry. Emma. She thinks of the town she wants to save and her family in it. She thinks of Snow and Charming and how in the Enchanted Forest they stepped up for her. Now she wants to do the same for them. She thinks of love she never wants to be without and what she cannot bear to lose, not again. With a gasp she feels her magic run through her body before ripping out of her hands. She looks down to see white light.

"What are you doing?" Zelena asks thrown off by the sudden change.

"Waking up," Regina replies. She is aware now. She knows what she can do, what she can be capable of for not only herself but the ones she loves. Sometimes it takes a test of strength to see what we're truly made of. For Regina that literally means seeing the light. She feels a rush of magic as she lets that light magic flow and focuses on restoring the town to what it should be, of saving Emma and Henry and everyone else. She thinks of the happy ending she wants to live in Storybrooke.

A flash of white magic blasts through the basement sending all of them flying across the room.

Henry is the first to get up. He sees Zelena lying unconscious on the floor and quickly snatches her amulet before running to let Rumple out. "Are you okay Grandpa?" he asks as the man hurries out of his cell. He follows the line of the man's gaze and sees his mom crumpled on the floor in the corner.

"MOM!" he shouts, panic flooding his chest already as she doesn't move.  _It's not supposed to be like this_  he thinks. He's always wanted her to be a hero. She is. To him she already is. He wants her to be good and save them all but not at the cost of her life. What he wants most now is just to live with both of his Moms and enjoy a family life for a little while.

He kneels down next to her as Emma runs over. He can see terror painted over Emma's face and he looks up to her with a pleading expression. "Save her Ma."

She shakes her head as she looks down at the woman she loves. "Both of us kid. We're both going to save her," she says. Regina saved both of them. She needs both of them. He nods and looks back at his Mom. He thinks of how much time they wasted at war and apart and how he wishes he could go back and tell himself to appreciate her more. He thinks of how she was as his Mom before he found the book. He thinks of how hard she worked to change and be the Mom he knew she could be. He thinks of how they've all changed and how life will continue to evolve in the future. He knows that those changes will be easier when they're all together.

Emma looks down at Regina. Regina just saved her and Henry using the light Emma knew she always had. Even in Regina's darker moments, Emma knew there was good fighting it. She's always known that Regina has a resilient heart and that in spite of the darkness Regina believed consumed it, that light was constantly glowing within it. It's been a long road back to Storybrooke, to Regina but it's all been worth it. For Regina, Emma would run to any realm and she knows Regina would, and did, do the same. Emma pictures a life she wants them to live. Love. Happiness. Shacking up in the mansion. Ordinary days and ordinary nights. Maybe marriage and even more kids. The constant is Regina.

Emma and Henry share a look and nod before leaning down to kiss Regina’s forehead. As they do white light ripples out once more and Regina’s eyes flutter open. Emma feels relieved tears run down her face as she quickly pulls Regina in for a long and loving kiss. They embrace tightly and Henry joins them in a three bear hug.

“You did it,” Emma whispers, “You saved us.”

“She did much more than that Miss Swan,” Rumple says and the family look up at him. He looks over to the still unconscious Zelena, “You defeated her. You broke the curse. I knew you would and I believe this is where I owe you a thank you.”

“A thank you?” Regina asks in mild disbelief.

He nods, “Yes dearie. You broke the curse which means you freed Belle as well as myself so for the first time I owe you a favour.”

“Well we need to figure out what to do with Zelena,” Regina says.

“What did you have in mind?” he asks.

“I got a second chance,” Regina replies, “I think maybe so should she or at the very least we offer her one.”

“She killed my son,” he protests.

“And you cast her aside knowing how she would react. How many have you killed? How many have I? Rumple if we can have second chances then we are in no position to deny others.”

He sighs, “I don’t have to be happy with it.”

“I’m not asking you to be happy with it. I’m asking you to be the better person, to be what your son wanted you to be. For once Rumple don’t give into vengeance. Restrain her magic and be done with her. Then go find your happy ending with Belle. I know what it is to pick revenge over happiness and trust me Rumple, happiness is the better choice.”

He nods and does as asked before waving his hand over her causing her to disappear, “Don’t worry dearies, she’s in jail. Now if you don’t mind, I have a happy ending to rediscover.”

“And we have a family to find,” Emma says with a wide smile.

_Thanks for reading :)_


	8. Epilogue

As soon as they leave the farmhouse they know something has changed. The sky is a crisp blue rather than a dull grey. Under Zelena's curse everyone looked drained of life and the town was full of faded colours. Now with it broken the captured souls are released and returned. Regina thinks she's never been so happy to see grass look green. She can't help but sit down and run her fingers through it. Henry and Emma do the same.

"It's back," Henry says cheerfully as he looks over to the forest, "It's Storybrooke again."

The place itself may have been called Storybrooke but it wasn't. It was not truly Storybrooke until this moment. Under the curse it was merely a faded façade whereas now it is the home they all remember.

"Home sweet home," Emma says with a chuckle as she stands and helps Henry and Regina up. She never thought she would miss a place until she returned to Storybrooke. When she kissed Regina and got her memories back all she missed was Regina and her family. She hadn't thought about the town. She missed the people, her friends and her parents. It was only when she set foot in the town that she realised how much she missed her home.

"Let's hope we get to stay a while this time," Regina replies before taking Emma's hand. She leans up on her tiptoes to kiss Emma lovingly before they fall into step side by side. Emma wraps her free arm around Henry's shoulder and they walk as a family back into the town which has become their home and where they hope to stay for a long, long time to come.

* * *

Rumple waits anxiously for Belle to arrive. He knows she'll find his request to reunite here strange but he has his reasons. There's a lot of things he wants to do now he is free of Zelena's capture. The first thing he did was visit his son. In this land there was a grave for him to stand by and say a goodbye that he never had a chance to in the Enchanted Forest.

His son died trying to be a hero and do the selfless thing. Now it is up to Rumple to offer that and whilst a part of him wants nothing more than to march into the station and kill Zelena, he won't because it will be a disservice to Bae. As hard as it is to admit Regina is right. Enough blood has been spilled. It's time to stop the vengeance and the chaos and try to live the life his son always wanted for them both – a life of happiness rather than power.

He smiles as he spot Belle at the end of the street. For the first and probably only time he thanks any god there is for Zelena keeping him caged in this new curse. He's not sure he would have been able to bear seeing Belle soulless. She has always been so full of spirit, it's one of the things he loves most and he's glad he didn't have to suffer seeing her a shell of herself.

She runs over to him quickly throwing her arms around him. They kiss, short but sweet as he holds her tight. They both sob in relief at finally finding each other again. There's been so much heartache and pain and death and curses to get to this moment and Rumple knows he can't waste any more time with vengeance or power. All those things have done is lost him love.  _Once this is done I will marry her._

"Why here?" Belle asks after they simply enjoy several minutes of just being with each other again.

Rumple smiles turning to the spot where there was once a mansion, "I owe someone a great debt, one I will probably never be able to pay off. I know Regina locked you up and kept us apart but this time she reunited us. She broke the curse with light magic and true love. I spent a long time corrupting her and directing her towards darkness. I caused her a lot of pain and she some to me but I owe her. I chose her and whilst I don't regret that I know what it caused for Regina. It takes a lot to overcome a dark heart but she did. I have to believe that if she can so can I and I want to start today."

"How?" Belle asks with a beaming smile. She's always believed in the good in Rumple. Now she hopes they'll have time for it to emerge.

"Everyone else has a home to go to now they've awoken. It seems unfair to me that the people who saved us all are the only ones without one," he explains. With a flick of his wrist red smoke surrounds the empty lot on Mifflin Street. Once it clears it reveals the mansion that once stood there. He can't give Regina much but he can give her back the home she shared with her son and now can share with both him and Emma.

She broke the curse which means he can find happiness. The least he can do is give her a home to live her own happiness in.

* * *

Regina smiles joyfully as she walks alongside Emma and their son. They're off to find their family and in doing so they get a chance to walk back through Storybrooke. As they do Regina hears people cheering them and thanking them. They all know who saved them. Regina can't help but grin.  _I did it. I'm a hero_. Their acceptance is something Regina has always secretly wanted and now earned. Redemption is not always an easy road to take but for Regina it's been more than worth it. She looks at Emma's hand in her own and then up to the blonde who takes everything in with a cheerful smile. She then looks over to Henry who grins and waves to everyone, pleased to finally be back home. They make it all worth it. Thanks to them she remembered who she wanted to be. They showed her the light in herself and through them she found the home she had searched for for so long.

She's looking forward to finding Snow and Charming again. They all are. Regina never expected to look forward to seeing them but whilst here in Storybrooke she's missed them. In the Enchanted Forest they stepped up and supported her. They are not just her family but also dare she say it her friends. Seeing Snow soulless was something she never wanted. Even when they were enemies she had to admit she admired Snow's fighting spirit.

Zelena took the life right out of everyone in this town.

Regina is thrilled that she was able to restore that life. She never knew she could be capable of such goodness but here they are. She wonders if maybe now she'll finally be able to sit back and enjoy her happy ending with Emma and Henry and the rest of their family. Lord knows they've all been through enough stress and disaster to get to even the chance of one.

As they walk down the Main Street Henry spots his grandparents taking off in a dead run to give them both a hug. Emma and Regina aren’t far behind. Regina stands to the side at first letting Emma reunite with her parents. She watches the teary happy smiles and warm hugs and knows that this time she did the right thing but instead of losing everything she loves like last time, she is part of a happy reunion. This time she regained love and her chance at true joy. She won’t let anything take that from her again.

She watches them hug until Snow gives her a serious look before shaking her head with a smile and pulling her into the big family bear hug. “What did you think you were doing standing all the way over there?” Snow asks.

Regina shrugs, “I thought you would like the moment to reunite with your daughter and grandson.”

“I want to reunite with my entire family,” Snow replies, “Which you are a part of. You did it Regina. You found her and saved us all. The least you deserve is a hug.”

“This might even get you free coffee at Granny’s,” Emma adds with a grin. Regina rolls her eyes at her girlfriend as the group remain hugging.

“Thank you for taking care of her,” Charming says to her as he nods at her with a grateful smile. Regina nods back before looking to Emma and their son, “You don’t have to thank me for that. I love them. I’ll always protect them.”

“I know you will,” he replies, “Anything for family.” He looks her straight in the eyes and even though it goes unsaid she knows he means her too.

They break from the hug and Regina takes Emma’s hand once more. Henry takes her other one. They stand there a family reunited. They don’t know what will happen in the future. Maybe things will calm down for a bit. Knowing Storybrooke there’s bound to be some form of chaos but whatever may strike them they will face together. Regina kisses her girlfriend lovingly and ruffles her son’s hair.

For a long time all she had were dreams. Echoes of the past to keep her love of Emma with her. Now as they stand together with the rest of their family Regina knows she won’t need dreams to remind her of how very lucky she is. She has light. She has family. A wonderful son. She has true love and now she knows it’s time to live the happy ending she’s fought so long for.  

_Thanks for reading :)_


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